Congressman Steven Palazzo is a Gulf War veteran who currently serves in the Army National Guard from his home in Mississippi’s Fourth District. In this exclusive Veterans Day interview, he talked with The Horn Managing Editor Stephen Dietrich, himself a combat veteran, to discuss the biggest issues facing our veterans and our national security.
Q: In addition to serving during the first Gulf War, I understand you’re still a member of the National Guard. Tell us why that’s so important to you.
Congressman Palazzo: Ever since I was a kid I heard stories of my grandfather and his service during World War II. I grew up with a strong desire to serve my country and have done so my entire adult life. This is an opportunity to give back, not just for me but for the thousands of guardsmen across our nation. It is important because it gives us not only an opportunity to serve our country but also to serve our communities in their time of need.
Q: One of the challenges many veterans face is transitioning to life after service, and particularly after deployment. What did you learn going through that transition yourself, and what can concerned citizens do to help?
Congressman Palazzo: Our younger veterans are returning home now to transition into the civilian sector, a transition that isn’t always easy for them. We must support them and honor them as the heroes they are. We must treat their wounds, both visible and invisible. We must utilize the skills that we have spent countless dollars training them for. They are leaders that have, at the age of 19, made more meaningful decisions in their lives than many twice their age. Vets don’t want a hand out. They want an opportunity, and you will be surprised by what they can do for local businesses, organizations, or teams. I love being a citizen soldier – one foot in the military and one foot in the civilian world.
Q: I’ve always said that the best decision a company can make is to hire a veteran. But especially for our younger veterans, the unemployment rate remains much higher than the national average. What more can the private sector do, and where does the government come in?
Congressman Palazzo: That’s easy – hire veterans. They are well-trained, smart, and ready to work. We should make it easier for veterans to get licensed in the fields they have already worked in the military. These guys want to work and are good at what they do.
Q: Many veterans have dealt with unacceptably long wait times through the VA, and the federal government has not always been candid about the problem. What are you hearing from your constituents, and what more needs to be done?
Congressman Palazzo: The problems still exist, we have spent millions of dollars on this problem and the wait times are getting better, but only because we are funding more and more private appointments. In my opinion the time has come to have a very serious conversation about privatizing VA care. The system is broken and it is full of bureaucrats who have spent careers giving lackluster service and care. We should be able to fire these employees. The more private care, the better.
Q: As an accountant who is professionally trained in money management, our federal budgeting process must drive you crazy. How can we balance our budget and maintain fiscal responsibility, while making sure we’re taking care of our veterans, our soldiers, those who have given their lives in service, and their families?
Congressman Palazzo: I have long been an advocate of a balanced budget amendment. You don’t need an accounting degree to understand this one. Simply put, you can’t spend any more than you take in. Every American household is expected to do this, why in the world isn’t our government held to the same standard?
But we can’t balance the budget on the backs of our men and women in uniform. We must continue to prioritize what is most important. I believe the number one constitutional responsibility of Congress is the common defense of this nation. This is followed closely by keeping our promises to those who have supported and defended this great country.
Q: Speaking of the budget, under President Barack Obama’s leadership, the United States’ debt level is expected to climb to nearly $20 trillion. With the damage that the president done to our debt burden, is it possible to move forward responsibly without cutting our defense budget?
Congressman Palazzo: It is, and it has to be done. What most people don’t understand is defense spending makes up about one half of one third of our national budget. The biggest portion, two thirds of our federal budget, is made up of mandatory spending accounts that Congress doesn’t even vote on every year.
Admiral Mike Mullen, when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before one of my committees and told us the greatest threat to our national security is our national debt. That is something I have carried with me ever since that day.
The time has come that we start addressing the real drivers of our debts and deficits and that is entitlement spending.
Q: As a combat veteran, are you for or against an expanded role for women in combat roles in our military?
Congressman Palazzo: I oppose the expanded role of women in combat roles. Women have served honorably in our military for generations, and that is something all Americans should be very proud of. That said, our military has to be the greatest fighting force it can be not a proving ground for political priorities.
The Marine Corps recently studied this extensively, and found that in ground combat scenarios, integrated (male and female) units performed worse than their all male counterparts across the board. The rates of injury were higher for the integrated units and their ability to complete required tasks for combat situations was compromised.
This is not a joke; this is not something we can experiment with in combat until we get it right. We are talking life and death here, and I believe that if the President and the Secretary of the Navy integrate units for political purposes they will have the blood of American service members on their hands.
Q: How do you plan to spend this Veterans Day honoring our troops?
Congressman Palazzo: I am spending the whole week attending veterans’ events across my Congressional District. Specifically I plan to attend the Veterans Day parade in Hattiesburg, Mississippi talking with and thanking all of our veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. South Mississippi is a military community and we all celebrate and honor our veterans every way that we can.
Our politicians care more about illegal aliens than they do about veterans. So few of our citizens age 19-40 serve in the military in this era. Many think that a video game is military service.
Two good points !
It is little wonder about illegal aliens receiving more attention than veterans. Look at the “foreign aliens” in leadership slots in the USGov, plus the ones that pledge 1st allegiance to Israel instead of the US.
I agree with you 100%
You guys are fools by backing Israel you ARE backing the USA> Who would you back, ISIS or another Arabic dictator wannabe who hates Israel & Americans.
Yes, and look at the large number of Muslim Brotherhood folks in Government and at the right hand of Obama & Hillary, plus the one in homeland security.
We ought to be feeling very secure….ha ha really?
11 Nov. 2015
11 Nov. 2015, Don’t knock Israel, they are our best and only Allie, in the Middle East.
Nearly all the new drugs for cancer cures, and medical devices that
let our Wounded Warriors, get out and about came from Israel.
Plus you need to know God Almighty, himself said in the King James Holy Bible,
Genesis, Chapter 12 verse 3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him
that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
No I’m not Jewish, I am and Old Gentile Dog, who knows God (Jesus Christ in the flesh)
is real and I have seen the Power of the Almighty God, while on board an Aircraft Carrier,
with waves washing Jet Aircraft off the flight that had ten tie down steel chains rated at 10,000lbs breaking strength, ripped away like they were sewing thread!
Am i a Believer, you better believe I am!
MN1 Robert Briggs
USN Retired N TN
(Vietnam Veteran)
Israel our only true ally in the world? People in England, for one, would dispute that. So would the boys on the USS Liberty, attacked by Israeli planes and torpedo boats, by “mistake.”
I agree with you most of Detroit is muslim now! I read recently that in Menomme, MI that jerk in the white house is putting 4,500 refugees from Syria, Iraq, the that pit Afgan. People that think the Islamic people are wonderful have either addled brains from drugs or are just plain STUPID!
” ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU
ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY”
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
EVERY MALE SERVES AT LEAST TWO YEARS.!!!!!
My first Presidential election, that remark is why I voted for JFK. (Read his true story, “PT 109, how he saved his entire crew fro capture by the Japanese)Today, since 1996, I m a Independent voter. Democrats LIKE JFK, are totally gone. The Democrats now do not representthe working people, the orking poor, the Minorities that are American citizens, they do not protect our jobs.Instead they represent Big Money Interests, and Big Money companies, are Owned by the Bilderberg Group people. The Bilderberg Group wants a one world government. By the way, they also control the Rinos like the Bush Family,Boehner, McConnell, Corker and his amendment that got the treaty passed and is giving IRAN the Bomb. I will never again vote for a Democrat, Obama has pushed me over the line, I will never again vote for a Rino, all they have done is cavin to Obama and the rest of his anti-American slime balls. This election, I will vote for these people, 1. Trump, 2. Carson, 3. Cruz, 4. Carlay. 5. (If one of these people are not on the list) Third party. I wouldn’t vote for a Democrat to be a dog catcher.
Boy do I agree. NO RINOs, no democ-rats. I once told an uncle of mine that I believe that every official above the level of dog catcher was crooked. His response, “Our dog catcher was just indicted for embezzlement!”
From now on it is the person, not the establishment (with the exception that I could not vote democrat).
PTTA;
Vote for the only consistent constitutional Conservative out there…..Ted Cruz…..Don’t take my word for it, check him out yourself…He walks the walk and is constantly trying to rid of the Washington Cartel……Have a blessed day !
ABSOLUTELY!
I will not name but a very few that I would vote for as true republicans, as you, those are Trump, Carson, Cruse. My desire is for Trump as President, and Carson as vise. I believe that would be a great beginning of a swift turnaround,
Who ever gets elected is facing a lot of tough problems that are not easy to fix. I do believe we need a fresh look at them by a fresh face. I believe TRUMP is the answer. I will support whoever gets elected.
Yes….I would be a bit more specific, in that If a high school graduate does not have a letter of intent to go to college….18 months of mandatory military service is required. During that 18 months, instead of flipping burgers somewhere, he will learn a skill, become more of a responsible citizen and have time to decide which way his future should go, without worrying about rent, groceries, utility payment, etc.
College folks should serve also.
That would be a good way to work off student debt as well.
Regular paychecks would be helpful in making student loan payments, yes. As would getting government provided housing, meals, and medical care. However, even officer pay (most likely, since you’d have a degree) at the lower ranks is not a fortune. Nothing near what a stockbroker makes, for example.
I think every male borne in the USA should serve 2 years of military service. No exception straight out of high school.
The US military couldn’t use that many boots every year. Better include other forms of public service.
As a vet, at 66, I have advocated for mandatory two year service for ALL 18 year olds for decades!
11 Nov. 2015
Amen, Brother!
MN1 Robert Briggs
USN Retired
Sorry Every Male and Female must serve two years. They want equal rights, then protect our country don’t cut it down.
The VA system has a basic problem: Service on the Veterans Committee in Congress doesn’t get much media attention or campaign contributions from lobbyists, thus little attention from the Congresspersons on the Committee.
Answer me this. Politicians do so much damage to the country and then they leave office and OWE NOTHING for all the damage they have done. They just blame the other party or whomever. Why don’t we have penalties for people like Obama who get in there, screw everything up they touch and then JUST LEAVE with NO RETRIBUTION!!! Okay my term is over, I walk. Oh NO!!! You should pay for your CRIMES. What about a form of retribution, like hanging or shooting when it comes to grevious offenses, such as Obama has committed???
EACH ELECTED OFFICIAL SHOULD BE ON OFFICIAL “RECALL” NOTICE “
Ol Sarge;
A big AMEN to that !…. Have a blessed day !
You put a smile on my face!!
Q: Would the out party LIE about the in party committing grievous offences? Your plan would amount to government by assassination and coup.
11 Nov. 2015
This man has the right idea!
We need to plug Old Sparky by into the Electrical Grid
and send some of the Blue Juice from Old Sparky his way
for the Iran Deal!
I can’t believe he is so mental crippled that he doesn’t understand
he is putting his own family and himself at risk plus all the rest of us
Americans too!
MN1 Robert Briggs
USN Retired
They don’t just leave we pay them for the rest of their lives. No retirement maybe they wouldn’t inflict themselves on us for so long. Again maybe they would just try to stay longer. We need term limits.
ALL one has to do is go visit a college campus and audit one of the classes in history /civics.you will see nothing but communist/marxist bullshit being fed to the kids,from gradeschool to graduate school our kids are being REWIRED to be good little marxists..
– seems to me that they are being wired to be conforming puppets – – ?
11 Nov. 2015
That is the unadulterated TRUTH, Brother!
I say Amen!
MN1 USN Retired, Robert Briggs N TN
It is good to hear the truth about college courses.
Somehow those professors are into theory, not what works.
Communism sounds good.
Problem is, it doesn’t work economically and seems to draw in the most vicious psychopaths of humanity for leadership.
Why is it not a requirement that all who are running for president of the USA must have Served in the Military If they are going to be the Commander of ALL Military personnel..
That would be too sensable.
Used to be, the voting public required military experience of candidates. Today, too few people serve in the military to form much of a candidate pool.
Hungry armies win no battles, remember the importance of American agriculture that feeds themselves and 150 others.
My priority in life is GOD, family and Church! GOD is the creator of all things! Is GOD in America today? No GOD IS NOT! So, what is the top priority for America? GOD! Take ISREAL for example, ISREAL will always be protected by GOD! So, what are we missing? GOD and prayer! PRAY AMERICA, PRAY!
Yep, 2 Chronicles 7:14!
If Israel will always be protected by God, why are we sending Israel billions of dollar In military aid every year?
11 Nov. 2015
Amen!
Pray America, Pray because God is the only one that can save America.
Most young people today don’t realize this country was founded by mostly
Christians and other God fearing Peoples.
They wanted to worship God, the way the Bible said to; that is in Spirit and Truth.
MN1 Robert Briggs N TN
For all the politically correct media guided hype you will note that those factors that underlie most of our social problems would be altered by:
1) Term limits
2) Balanced budget requirement
3) On immigration keep the good ones and throw out the bad ones
4) Form a new jJob Corps to address our infrastructure problems–train, train, train
5) Enforce the laws
6) Require politicians to live by the laws they pass
Right on………………
Robert N TN, Sez, Amen!
http://www.leurenmoret.info/currents/ukrainian-wikileaks-intervi.html
The link above exposes the template that has often been used to justify transgressive infringement in foreign lands, all in the name of “national security.” False flags have been perpetrated against nations, including our own, that begs the question as to who is really telling the truth. Beware…the information that is revealed about what is really happening in the Ukraine and in Syria questions the integrity of some politicians who have compromised what it means to have representative power; indeed, it questions what it means to abuse that power in the name of “national security.”
U.S. veterans deserve to know the truth about the leadership under which they serve.
Ran out of space! Look around you and see what rights have been denied you since the close of WW2. Look around you and see the effort to create a Godless Society–call it what you will. Look around you and see the effort to destroy the family. Look around you and witness the degradation of our educational system–public and private.
LOOK AROUND YOU AND WITNESS THE FALL OF THE GREATEST REPUBLIC EVER KNOWN. APATHY IS THE GREATEST TOOL OF THOSE WHO WOULD OVERCOME.
Please, please VOTE.
Also, we have experienced the elimination of our finest and best generals and admirals and replaced with controlled yes men to the Islamic/socialist/communist Obama. He has accomplished most of what he set out to do, namely destroy our Great Country. IT CAN BE SAVED BY ELECTING REAL PATRIOTIC AMERICANS.
I appreciate all your comments, and thanks to all of those who have served to protect our country. I only throw this out for you to ponder: Doesn’t a country that allows the murder of over 1.6 million innocent babies a year, calls what God calls sin ‘tolerance’, persecutes those who don’t agree with them, tries to take away the basic freedoms of the people to protect themselves, aids and assists our enemies, etc. deserve an Obama? Government is supposed to be for the people, by the people, not for the politicians, by the politicians. I love the quote from JFK, and I would like for you to consider another quote; this one from the Creator of the Universe. It is taken from the Bible, II Chronicles 7:14-22a:”…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’ “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD, the God…….” I think the most powerful resource we have is to pray. Then we need to exercise our freedom to vote and let our voices be loudly heard by our representatives. If they turn a death ear….well theirs always someone who wants to replace them!
Every social, political, economic, financial, and military problem we have in America today can be directly traced to the Democrat (note I did not say Democratic) Party. It has become a party of fringe elements, vocal fringe elements, that suck the teat of big government. It consists of illegal aliens, Muslims, homosexuals, atheists, radical feminists, abortionists, criminals, etc, etc. ad nauseum. Now Bunghole Bathhouse Barry is bringing in thousands of “refugees” that are Muslimes (sp) who embrace a false, misogynist and murderous culture that is in direct contrast to our value system. They will only add to the thousands already here establishing Sharia in their “no go” areas. Yet the Democrats support this invasion and the spread of Islam.
Take a look at any city, county or state that is in financial trouble, high crime rates, social unrest, high unemployment and you will find that in most every case that entity has been run by Democrats for decades. Yet, the politically ignorant fools in these areas continue to elect them–for “free stuff”, which is not free. Like Maggie Thacher said, ” Socialism is great until you run out of other peoples money.”
With Bathhouse Bunghole Barry as our so called Commander in Chief (what a joke) the military has been eviscerated. Openly hostile to the military, he has used every opportunity to side with and support Muslims (note the inscription on his ring), promoted integration of women into combat units, brought homosexual into the units, had the nerve to call the terrorist massacre at Ft. Hood “work place violence”, brought a deserter’s family to the White House after trading five terrorists for his release, etc. Any other President would have long since been impeached, but because the Democrats will not discipline their own, regardless of the crimes, he continues to denigrate and destroy our once great nation. His face on the front of a leading homosexual magazine says it all. (Saw that on the net. Didn’t know the magazine existed.)
The Democrat Party makes the Mafia and ISIS look like amateurs. It is the greatest threat to the survival of this nation as we once knew it. It is no longer the Party of Truman and Kennedy (my party then), but a Party of radicals bent on destroying all our most cherished traditions. Bill Ayers, Barry’s mentor, George Soros, and their ilk are supremely happy as we disintegrate into a third world sinkhole.
Declare the Democrat Party a terrorist organization and ban it from the nation.
Chuck;
Amen Sir !……. Justly proclaimed……..Have a blessed day !
Hear, Hear. Sounds like a plan. Declare the Democratic Party a Terrorist Organization.
“I oppose the expanded role of women in combat roles. Women have served honorably in our military for generations, and that is something all Americans should be very proud of. That said, our military has to be the greatest fighting force it can be not a proving ground for political priorities.”
THANK YOU! Dang! It’s about time someone had the guts to stand up and say this! I’m sorry, ladies, but we do NOT belong in combat! Pound for pound, a man is stronger than any woman of equal height and weight; men’s minds function in a way that makes them far more suited for the stress of combat and the focus needed to carry out successful missions. Women, on the other hand, have their own “combat” situations to deal with, ones for which WE are more genetically suited: raising children who will become good citizens, people who will contribute greatness to our society instead of tearing it apart by selfishness, laziness, and a false sense of entitlement. Moms do that, but here’s another politically incorrect observation – they need the side-by-side help of good husbands – kids need their dads. But that’s a bit off topic.
For any women who read this and think I’m an idiot, oh well. Too bad. I’m married to a Vietnam veteran and my father was Chief Petty Officer on the USS Titania in WWII. I have too much respect for our military to want to see it weakened by political crap. If a woman wants to play in the men’s leagues in sports, fine. At least there’s little chance of lives being lost in that setting. I am also the mother of three kids who are not in jail, not running the streets, not dealing drugs, not sexual deviants. They’re not perfect by any means, but they are hard-working, well-spoken people who have no confusion about who they are or what is right and wrong behavior. So maybe I did something right and know what I’m talking about. Bottom line – I don’t need anyone’s approval of my viewpoint. What I need is the feeling of security that this country is in good hands; knowing there are good, strong, brave men out there standing on the front lines to keep us safe and free gives me that.
Thank you to all veterans for your many sacrifices; to all active-duty military, retired, and reserve members. Your lives have been the currency that’s paid for our freedom, and I will be forever grateful.
Judy, I wish more women thought like you. If Mom’s want to be in combat, then take on the public school system that is teaching your kids. As Robert has said, all you have to do is visit most college campuses and audit a class in history and/or civics. They are indoctrinating our kids with false history and promoting socialism and communism all on my and your tax dollar! I went to a military school for five years and saw many of my friends die in the Vietnam War. When the survivors came home, they were ridiculed and spit on. What a shameful time in our country’s history! As Moms and Grand Moms, we have the responsibility and privilege of raising/teaching children to honor, respect and appreciate the freedoms that so many have given the ultimate sacrifice for so that never happens again.It may not a ‘politically correct’ position to call on women to serve in this combat zone but, and I quote Judy, ” Women, on the other hand, have their own “combat” situations to deal with, ones for which WE are more genetically suited: raising children who will become good citizens, people who will contribute greatness to our society instead of tearing it apart by selfishness, laziness, and a false sense of entitlement. Moms do that, but here’s another politically incorrect observation – they need the side-by-side help of good husbands – kids need their dads.” AMEN, Judy!!!
Hey JET. It’s good to know I’m not alone in this. I’m glad you mentioned education, too. I was fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home mom (something that at one time was the rule rather than the exception), and ended up pulling my kids out of the public school system to home school them. They grew up with conservative values that to this day they espouse, and as adults, have concluded are the right values based as much on their own experience, observation, and research into it, as on what I and my husband taught them.
I fully agree with you that one of the greatest threats America faces is the liberal, communist, anti American school system. In the early seventies I quit college due to the fact that I could not sit through any more anti American rhetoric from socialist professors with out assaulting them physically. The last class I attended the professor told the class that the only government that was worth while was socialist. When I confronted his beliefs in class he became profane, and I got up to leave the class before I did something that would have gotten me arrested. I had to go forward to exit the room, and brave socialist that he was, he ran to the far corner and was screaming that there were witnesses if I assaulted him. This is what is still going on in our schools and colleges today, and we wonder why our nation is going under, and why our youth are violent and disrespectful.
One domestic security threat not mentioned, but well demonstrated in comments made: Too many rabid right-wing loony’s, with too many guns, talking each other into believing our government is full of traitors, and needs to be overthrown. Such could easily slide into an Iraqi-style bubbling insurgency, with bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, coup attempts, etc.
Common sense and a cool head tells us that loonies on ANY wing are a bad deal, SJ. Please don’t assume that just because we share certain conservative values, we’re all crazy. In fact, it seems only those on the far end of both sides of the spectrum are the ones engaged in name-calling, flinging unfounded accusations based on what the media has decided we should believe without a shred of evidence in most cases. If you recall, when the Tea Party first made its presence known, people of opposing views were accusing the participants in a public demonstration of carrying racist signs and yelling racial slurs at those who were there and happened to disagree. You’d think the news outlets would have been blasting photos of those signs and sound bites of those invectives all over the air-waves and social media. Nope. Not a single picture of those alleged signs, not a single sound-bite (wait – is it “byte?”).
What the media didn’t bother to report was how peaceful that demonstration was, or how at pretty much every Tea Party rally, the place they’re in is left cleaner than when they arrived – unlike the sidewalk-defecating, trash-strewing, foul-mouthed participants of the Occupy Wall Street participants. They were so disgusting, the park they were in was given wide berth because of the stench. And yes, there was plenty of photographic proof of this, so I’m not name-calling – merely stating documented facts.
Regarding guns, I’m not sure what you mean by “too many guns.” Seems to me that there are “too many guns” on the street in the hands of those who will never, ever, ever obey any anti-gun law: criminals. So okay, take away all the guns from those who merely have them for emergency self-deffense purposes, and who keep them locked safely away, and who have taken courses in the proper use and handling of these dangerous items. Will that keep them out of the hands of the ones who are NOT keeping them locked safely away for emergencies? Or out of the hands of those who could care less about gun safety, much less spending money and time on courses? Nope. The people who commit gun crimes are not the ones you’re so concerned about. You simply cannot lump everyone together into one group, and call them all rabid loonies because they happen to disagree with you. That would be the behavior of those who have forgotten the importance of our basic freedoms.
Always there will be those who abuse a good system, but they are not the ones upon whose behavior we base our way of treating the rest who are not abusive. That you have an opposing viewpoint about these things from mine is perfectly all right with me. I don’t assume you’re a nut case, a communist, or some other distasteful sort of person who needs to be controlled. Rather, I think you’re simply a fellow American exercising the right to an opinion and free speech. Heck, I might even learn something from you in the course of a friendly discussion, and that’s what real freedom is about.
None of us would tolerate the kind of insurgency you outline, or at least none of us who are NOT hanging out on that far tip of the so-called wing, either right or left. We can believe in the right to bear arms without being rabid nutbags, and we can disagree on political and religious views, too, without wanting to assassinate or blow up those who see life differently. Good grief. Please give the majority of Americans a little more credit than that. Were this the case, we would have degraded into that violent culture you described long before now.
How do you know all the mass killers were from liberal backgrounds? And, who’s definition of “liberal”? Anything to the left of Alley Oop ? Everyone “packing heat” would be one solution to the problem …. if you can keep the “everyone” from including crazies. (good luck!)
Judy: You sound sane enough. But, someone does not have to be bat-s**t crazy to be dangerous. I.e., is someone who believes, for example, “… one of the greatest threats America faces is the liberal, communist, anti American school system … ” immune from deciding that he needs to take physical action to end the perceived threat? Like with the Columbine high school massacre, once one happens, you get copycats. And that is without any organized groups cheering on the school attacks, ala abortion clinic bombings.
Check the political affiliation of the mass killers in the past few years. Everyone of them are from a liberal background, and have done their killing in gun free zones. In other words, gun free zones give the message that if a loony wants to kill people they can maximize their chances of killing more victims before being stopped if none of the victims are armed.
You can bet the farm that if women integrated into the fighting units will decrease their effectiveness, Obama will do it, I believe that his main objective since he was illegally installed into the presidency by the liberal lies and the entitlement crowd has been to destroy America’s ability to protect herself. He has no empathy for anyone except himself, and his ego is so large I’m surprised he can get it onto Airforce One. Never has anyone in history risen so high with so little ability.
I see so much all around me that is so far from what our founding fathers so wisely set up for us, it makes me want to move to another country, but where on earth would that be? The whole world is screwed up. Maybe if Texas ever decides to secede from the USA, I could move there, I’ve always heard “don’t mess with Texas”. It used to be “don’t mess with the USA, but the liberals, and especially Obama, who have taken us down to less than a third world country have taken care of our great strength to protect ourselves, and others who need our help.
My biggest concern is that come election time … who is going to make sure that the election results are honest? The last two elections were so dishonest something needs to be done to ensure that the voting system cannot be corrupted. Electronic voting is too vulnerable. Anyone can be paid enough to skew the system.
Jude
Who will ensure that the election results are honest? The poll workers. Volunteer to be one!
SJ, you asked how “liberal” is defined. Rather than give an uneducated opinion, I turned to Webster’s: In its most basic definition it is “one who is tolerant of views differing from one’s own; broadminded.” It appears that this very basic definition could apply to all who are responding to this blog, correct? Each person is expressing their view and each has a constitutional right to do that. However, when you go beyond the basic definition and politics come into play, the word takes on a different flavor. A liberal in this sense is defined as “one who favors liberal principles that promote excessive personal freedom or is indecorous in behavior; licentious (disregarding accepted rules and standards; morally unrestrained). I personally believe we have these types of folks on both sides. With that said, I believe God’s law trumps any law that man could come up with to suit his own views and lusts, be it for power, money, sex, etc. So I go back to my initial input: “I appreciate all your comments, and thanks to all of those who have served to protect our country. I only throw this out for you to ponder: Doesn’t a country that allows the murder of over 1.6 million innocent babies a year, calls what God calls sin ‘tolerance’, persecutes those who don’t agree with them, tries to take away the basic freedoms of the people to protect themselves, aids and assists our enemies, etc. deserve an Obama? Government is supposed to be for the people, by the people, not for the politicians, by the politicians. I love the quote from JFK, and I would like for you to consider another quote; this one from the Creator of the Universe. It is taken from the Bible, II Chronicles 7:”…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place…” I think the most powerful resource we have is to pray. Then we need to exercise our freedom to vote and let our voices be loudly heard by our representatives. If they turn a death ear….well theirs always someone who wants to replace them! While I do not promote anarchy, I do promote involvement, and do not think I have to sit by idle and watch my freedoms taken away or what I have worked hard for all my life be given to those who think they are entitled to it without having to hit a lick at a snake! My weapons against such thinking: letting my representatives know where I stand, praying and voting and encouraging others to do so. On the gun issue, I would encourage you to seriously study what socialism, communism, and marxism started out with —- disarmament. It resulted in the slaughter of millions of innocent lives, if they didn’t starve to death first. My thinking is that if there is anyone who doesn’t love this country and appreciate the freedoms it affords them and those who have and continue to protect those freedoms, there is a simple solution —- LEAVE. You have the freedom to do that.
A curious feature of many conservatives is that they are al for protecting children before they are born, but afterwards it’s, “Keep those little monsters off my lawn, and out of my country! And don’t tax me even one thin dime to aid them! ”
Ever occur to you that people choose to support authoritarian groups, of hard left or hard right persuasion, and disbarment of private citizens, because they get fed up the violence done by heavily armed private armies and crazies? A recent example: Putin, in Russia, curbing the criminal gangs and oligarchs. As for mass killings by governments, if a government sends an army against you, having anything less than another army on your side won’t save you.
As for the last part of your posting, which amounts to, “Love America (as it is), shut-up, or leave”. isn’t too tolerant.
Jolly, I guess I would conclude that if you really believed Putin has the right idea about these things you wouldn’t be living in America, but rather would move to Russia, become a Russian citizen and submit yourself to Russian rule. Those governments did not come in mass after the citizens, they didn’t have to. They rounded them up AFTER they had convinced them that they knew best, made them all kinds of false promises and disarmed them. And yes, if you really believe that we have it all wrong here in America, why would you want to continue to live here? Move to Russia and openly express your views and let us all know what happens. That’s one of the features I find curious about liberal thinking – they don’t seem to really think at all!